Game of Thrones Author: "F— You" If You Think He'll Die Before Finishing the Books

Author George R.R. Martin is known for the rich and verbose details in his fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, from which HBO's megahit Game of Thrones is adapted. But when it comes to fans who worry that Martin will die before he finishes the epic story of Westeros, he has a very concise message: "F--- you."

The notoriously deliberate writer, who is 65 years old, was asked by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeigerabout those fans and responded, "I find that question pretty offensive, people speculating about my death and my health. So 'f--- you' to those people." Martin's subsequent chuckle indicated that he wasn't entirely serious, but his choice of words conveyed that he's pretty sick of hearing the question.

Martin is currently writing the sixth installment, The Winds of Winter, of the proposed seven-book series (though recent reports suggest that Martin could write eight books before all is said and done). However, Martin's publication cycle is getting longer and longer with each book he releases. After two years between each of the first three books, the period between Book 3, A Storm of Swords, and Book 4, A Feast for Crows, stretched to five years. Another six years elapsed between A Feast for Crowsand A Dance with Dragons, which was released in 2011.

Martin has felt pressure from obsessed fans of the books to put pen to paper since the late 1990s, but now that Game of Thrones is one of television's biggest properties, there's a whole new gaggle of people tapping on his shoulder and telling him to get to writing. However, it's becoming more of a possibility that the television series may end before the book series does, as Martin has allegedly discussed key elements of the unwritten books with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. HBO has already renewed Game of Thrones for Seasons 5 and 6, and has targeted a seven-season run for the series.